I have been using Sonar (now Cakewalk By Bandlab) for years, and exporting to Notion to produce a score (yeah I know, it's the reverse of what most do. I'm left-handed). But I keep hearing music made in notation systems that sounds as good as what I can make in a DAW. I have Notion 5 and am upgrading to 6 soon. Will the sounds, and mixing, be better than in 5? Is it worth it to upgrade the sound sets (the extras)? Can I really make midi mockups that are as good as a DAW (while producing the score simultaneously?).

If you do a search on this forum for "Nearly Naked Notion" you'll find examples of recordings made from Notion "out of the box" with the standard sound sets. These will give you a good feeling for the kind of quality that's possible using Notion as a standalone music production tool. In my (admittedly biased) view, Notion is hands down the best performing notation program out there.

Here's a recent scorecast video I put together to show off how effective Notion is as a standalone production station (everything in this video is native Notion (sounds, playback, score, recording) with the exception of the tenor voice.

As far as the expansion sound sets go, my experience is that the expansions are additional instruments if a particular score needs them (jazz brass, guitars, etc.) My experience is that the basic sound set is more than enough to get you started. One plus with Notion is that the expansion sound sets are pretty inexpensive compared to some of the high-end VST libraries out there, and you can buy them as you need them.

As far as improvements over Notion 5, there are lots of functional improvements in the program. The sound sets haven't changed, so you won't notice any difference there.

Thank you very much for your detailed response. That indeed gives me a good grasp of what is possible. I'm not sure I would want to get Studio 1, though, even with the close integration with Notion. I'm thinking more of composing in Notion, then working up the sound version in Cakewalk, since that is what I know best. Rather than what I do now, which is the reverse. The ability to use VSTi's is crucial. Could I use Cinematic Strings? I know I can use GPO, EWSO and possibly Vienna Sp. Ed. and what about FX plugins, like Spaces Reverb, and the other effects that come with Cakewalk?

michaeldiemer1 wroteThank you very much for your detailed response. That indeed gives me a good grasp of what is possible. I'm not sure I would want to get Studio 1, though, even with the close integration with Notion. I'm thinking more of composing in Notion, then working up the sound version in Cakewalk, since that is what I know best. Rather than what I do now, which is the reverse. The ability to use VSTi's is crucial. Could I use Cinematic Strings? I know I can use GPO, EWSO and possibly Vienna Sp. Ed. and what about FX plugins, like Spaces Reverb, and the other effects that come with Cakewalk?

I am a Notion beginner, and I have found that Notion supports VST and VSTi. I have tried with a few of mine. and I got them working, but you need to instantiate them manually.

But for anything not on the supported list, you will be lacking built-in Notion presets and XML rules, which means no articulations, dynamics, and expressions within Notion that will work with the 3rd party plugins.

I would probably just stick with the built-in Notion instrument library and setup a score template that matches your Cakewalk track template (and maybe get a few Notion instrument addons so that ease of use is maintained in Notion). Since you are not planning to "print" your final audio in Notion, you could use those "in-house" instruments to sketch out your composition. Then you could export your MIDI to Cakewalk and use the matching track template over there with your favorite plugins for your final audio master.

Thank you John. I just thought of another question. If I were to buy an add-on inst, I'm assuming I could only use it in Notion, right? I mean, I couldn't use it in Cakewalk? I've wanted a decent soprano sax for a long time, also an alto trombone.

I currently use the default Notion inst's. they're not bad, and they set up so easy. I have been using Notion 5 for a few years now. The sounds for me are mainly helpful in "proofreading." The ear is infallible, the eye quite fallible. I have always been impressed with the scores I make in Notion. I'll be doing the upgrade regardless of anything else, just was curious about some things.

michaeldiemer1 wroteIf I were to buy an add-on inst, I'm assuming I could only use it in Notion, right? I mean, I couldn't use it in Cakewalk? I've wanted a decent soprano sax for a long time, also an alto trombone.

This 11GTB expansion has everything for $299. But it does say the sounds are only compatible with Notion version 5 and later.

JohnBW wroteBut it does say the sounds are only compatible with Notion version 5 and later.

Notion's internal sounds can't be used directly in other DAWS. It's not an open library like that.

It is possible to use the sounds indirectly, though, with a Rewire link to any other DAW that enables a Rewire connection (not just Studio One). SurfWhammy has written a lot about this subject in other posts on this site.

JohnBW wroteBut it does say the sounds are only compatible with Notion version 5 and later.

Notion's internal sounds can't be used directly in other DAWS. It's not an open library like that.

It is possible to use the sounds indirectly, though, with a Rewire link to any other DAW that enables a Rewire connection (not just Studio One). SurfWhammy has written a lot about this subject in other posts on this site.

JohnBW wroteBut it does say the sounds are only compatible with Notion version 5 and later.

Notion's internal sounds can't be used directly in other DAWS. It's not an open library like that.

It is possible to use the sounds indirectly, though, with a Rewire link to any other DAW that enables a Rewire connection (not just Studio One). SurfWhammy has written a lot about this subject in other posts on this site.

Another way would be to export the part, say soprano sax, as an audio file, and then import that to Cakewalk. Very kludgey but effective.

I'll probably wait for Garritan to have a sale, and pick up their Concert And Marching Band library. Lots of saxes in that, and they should at least be decent.

JohnBW wroteBut it does say the sounds are only compatible with Notion version 5 and later.

Notion's internal sounds can't be used directly in other DAWS. It's not an open library like that.

It is possible to use the sounds indirectly, though, with a Rewire link to any other DAW that enables a Rewire connection (not just Studio One). SurfWhammy has written a lot about this subject in other posts on this site.

Another way would be to export the part, say soprano sax, as an audio file, and then import that to Cakewalk. Very kludgey but effective.

I'll probably wait for Garritan to have a sale, and pick up their Concert And Marching Band library. Lots of saxes in that, and they should at least be decent.

I was going to pick up GPO 5 on the last sale, but got some feedback that only GPO 4 was fully supported in Notion. Something about the rules presets needed some work. I was looking for something that was 100% compatible out of the box.